Thanks to TAB Member Michael Anderson, President of Clientworks in Nevada City, CA for showing me this feature in the New York Times. I want to make a similar video of you and your company for this blog AND the new York Times. Say the word and I’m on my way….
Don’t get me wrong. I really like Jason Fried. I like his company 37 Signals , his blog and his articles. I even like parts of this book. But, sheesh, it is a bit low on the intellectual stimulation meter. That said, I haven’t written any book yet. So I should criticize theirs? See my video below…
In case you don’t already know, Google is holding a contest to give away A LOT of bandwidth. Nevada County, CA is in the running. Reinette Senum, Nevada City’s Mayor sent out the link to a video produced by Suzanne Warren of Silver Avenue Pictures of events and interviews surrounding this project. I got a little local, weepy with pride feeling. And I hope we win!
Check it out at http://www.95959google.com/ and then vote for Nevada County.
My 2009 book list looks like the New York Times bestseller list. I guess that all those readers can’t be wrong. How agreeable is that? I read a lot! If you have the least inclination to read books in the business genre (with generous boundaries…) these are my top six recommendations:
Barbara Ehrenreich – Bright-Sided (How Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America)
I am so sick of The Law of Attraction that I can scream. That’s why, I not only bought the book, but soaked up every irreverent word. From The Secret, to Mega churches to the National Speakers Association, no one is sacred. This is a brilliant deconstruct of our financial industry’s failure as well. Bless you Barbara.
Levitt and Dubner- Freakonomics
These guys are the rock stars of Behavioral Economics. Entertaining as heck and a great intro to this seemingly new science. They are describing experiments they’ve done that lead to conclusions about work, cheating and the people behind crimes. I still have “Super Freakonomics” their second book on deck to read. I hear it is just as entertaining.
Dan Ariely – Predictably Irrational
More Behavioral Economics. Ariely touched me more deeply than the authors of Freakonmics because he discusses the behavior of accountability. He proves that do better when we have an authority figure telling us what and when to accomplish. But suggests, as do my clients, that while having an authority figure may be more effective, a blend of authority and free will is best. He also does an informative bit about the irrationality of marketing that gave me more marketing ideas than any one else all year. Except….
Chris Anderson- Free
Like Thomas Friedman before him, this new tome is a technical analysis, appropriately told in terms even I can understand, of how the internet, digital technology and marketing have truly changed in the last few years. I learned a dozen things to immediately implement in order to not only stay cutting edge but to be politically correct in advancing business initiatives.
Patrick Lencioni – Three Signs of a Miserable Job ( A Fable for Managers)
Lencioni always has a way to take complicated subjects and distill their simple parts as a story. This is a quick ditti that packs a lot of punch. What do people want from their work? We want to be recognized. We want to know that what we do matters. And we want it measured. I agree! If we can practice this everyday we can all be successful.
Thomas Friedman – The World is Flat; A Brief History of the 21st Century (updated and expanded)
Friedman updated this tome in 2006 and still it is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why the world has changed. If you haven’t read this yet, get a new understanding of technology, “the Triple Convergence”, free trade and globalization. You may not agree with Friedman’s conclusions, but the history lesson is important. You must be dedicated to reading this but the payoff is immense. I had no less than 10 aha moments.
I’m reading the new Fast Company Magazine – an article about Hulu and I am disarmed by these lines in the first page;
“Imagine that The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal had gotten together and created Google News. Or that Sony Music and Warner Music Group had introduced iTunes. That’s Hulu, a daring attempt by would-be victims of the digital revolution, NBC Universal and News Corp., the parent company of Fox, to control their content — and their fates.”
Someone save me. Its been said out loud! What was wrong with Sony and WEA that they didn’t do this 10 years ago and handed their fate into the hands of the computer industry? Even when I sat at the independent content provider intro to itunes in 1996 in Cupertino, I wondered why they allowed this to happen. I also was thrilled that someone- anyone – picked up the gauntlet and moved the industry out of inertia even if for a short time. Apple didn’t solve the music industry’s problems but they did pull us along with them. And now, Hulu with their benefactors at NBC and Fox are an example of facing change head on. Shame on the music industry. You still embarrass me, years after my exit. Way to go.
In this same copy of Fast Company, The Heath Brothers write an article on looking out of your box to solve problems. It is the same thought as the Hulu article- thanks guys for saying it:
“The biggest barrier to the idea hunt, in fact, may be you. It may never occur to you to start searching because we all commonly keep our thinking penned up within our company or industry.”
Audio CD presentations with workbooks: $15 each or all 5 for $50. Go to the HPA Shop for more info.
• Three high payoff activities guaranteed to grow your business.
• Products Don’t Sell and Neither Should You
• Do What you’ve Never Done before: Creative Problem Solving
• People Don’t want to be manageD
• Empowering Employees: From Good to Great
Hi, I’m Ruth Schwartz, the owner of High Performance Advocates. This business was born to create fantastic places to work and to give a sense of accomplishment, belonging and satisfaction to business owners, executives, professionals and all the people who work with them. If change is on your “to do” list, let’s talk about exactly what it is that could change your organization and the lives of the people you touch -- from chaotic to good, good to great, or great to amazing!
